“It’s still embarrassing”, “when does this show stop ?”: the media interventions of Macron and Attal in question

Gabriel Attal est-il un atout pour Valérie Hayer ? MAXPPP – TERESA SUAREZ

L’opposition dénonce une confusion des rôles à l’approche des élections européennes et saisit l’Arcom.

Emmanuel Macron will be invited, this Thursday, June 6, to the 20 hours of TF1 and France 2, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Landing, an intervention widely denounced by the opposition who sees it as a crude maneuver three days before the European elections to try to support the candidacy of Valérie Hayer (Renaissance) largely left behind in the polls by Jordan Bardella (RN).

La France insoumise announced, Monday, its decision to contact Arcom (Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication) so that the speaking time of the President of the Republic is deducted from that of his candidate.

"We enter the Arcom"

"It's still embarrassing, just before the end of a campaign for the European elections, he will be entitled to prime time on TF1 and France 2", commented Manon Aubry, head of the LFI list, on RTL, pointing out this red carpet rolled out for the Head of State on the two main French channels at the end of the electoral campaign.

"The opposition must have the same speaking time. We take note of Arcom, had already announced, the day before, the president of LR, Eric Ciotti, knowing that the speaking times of the candidates and their supporters are timed between the April 15 and June 8.

Emmanuel Macron’s speech on Eurore, on April 25, had also been fully counted.

This time again, "no one is fooled", denounced the national secretary of the PCF, Fabien Roussel. "There is a form of logic that he (M. Macron) explains, the the whole world will watch France, justified, for her part, Valérie Hayer.

"The executive saturates the media space"

"If’he was only talking about the commemorations and the Landing, I see no problem with that" , retorted, Raphaël Glucksmann, candidate of PS – Public square, "but they are already announcing that he will discuss the international situation and talk about the European elections three days before the election. In which European country could this happen ?"

The majority once again stood out, Monday morning, with the appearance of Gabriel Attal on the France Info show Demain l’Europe. The Prime Minister burst into the auditorium of the Maison de la radio where he monopolized the floor for a few minutes to lend a hand to his candidate Valérie Hayer, thus attracting criticism from the other guests of the ;rsquo;emission.

"A form of contempt"

"I find that there is a form of contempt in that, as if Valérie Hayer was unable to campaign and that’ ;rsquo;it always had to be the Prime Minister or the President of the Republic", reacted François-Xavier Bellamy (LR).

"Honestly, it stops when this show ? Is it normal that in the middle of the countryside we have such a confusion of roles, that the ;executive spends its time saturating the media space, he continued, while Manon Aubry (LFI) wanted to see it as an illustration of & quot;mansplaining", term which designates an explanation given by a man to a woman in a paternalistic or condescending tone.

"Women are not doormats", added Marie Toussaint (EELV). Pierre-Alexandre Anglade (Renaissance), president of the European Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, tried to put out the fire, defending the image of a "majority gathered behind Valérie Hayer's list".

Renaissance struggling in the polls

But the surprise intervention of Gabriel Attal, of which the Renaissance candidate had been warned, according to Matignon, is far from having had the expected effect even though she is still struggling in the polls.

According to an Elabe-BFMTV/La Tribune Dimanche survey published on June 2, the president of the RN, Jordan Bardella, is credited with 32.5% of voting intentions (- 0.5%) on Sunday. That is twice the score attributed to the head of the Renaissance list, Valérie Hayer (16%, +0.5%).